Revolvo Preteritus
by RoxxyGirl
Summary: Latin for "Repeating the Past" Kallen has reverted to her old Japanese name, and settled down in the now liberated Japan. While things appear peaceful, something's not quite right as trouble stirs... Rated M to be on safe side On Hiatus
1. Peace

Authors Note: All Disclaimers apply, blah blah blah, I don't own Code Geass or the characters, only this plotline

_1 year after the death of Lelouch vi Britannia_

" Oi...Kallen...will ya wake up already?"

Akako Shinjimura, age 17, leaned in and studied the back of the redhead's scalp closely. Confirming that her friend's immobile body was either asleep or dead, she scratched her temple and hesitantly poked the top of Kallen Kouzuki's head.

"Mmmrph..." Kallen grunted and lazily waved her hand above her head. Unamused, Akako continued to stare at her comatose companion, and after some deliberation, attempted to drill a hole in Kallen's head with her index finger.

"Will...You...Wake...Up...Please...Miss...Kallen...Stadtfield!" At the sudden mention of her name, Kallen sat up with fury in her half awake eyes.

"My names not Stadtfield anymore! It's freaking Kouzuki, I will not allow you to call me by my old name!" Akako let out a sigh, scoffing at her friends stupidity.

"Yeah, yeah, I know already. I'm just trying to see how much of a reaction I can tease out of that shell of yours. How long-"

_Fwump_

Akako jumped at the noise, and stared as Kallen miraculously managed to flop back onto her desk, and fall back asleep. "-do you think I've known you for...." She shook her head with disbelief. Unbelievable. It would probably take the rest of 3rd period to wake her up again.

"Y'know, sometimes I wonder, why do I stick around you...Hell, for that matter, why does anyone stick around you?" She prodded the back of Kallen's head again, more out of habit than an attempt to wake her up. Akako let out another sigh.

"An ex-terrorist now lives her life out as a high school student. If we hadn't straight up seen her with a gun, we probably wouldn't believe that sweet, quiet, and sicky Kallen could turn out to be a guerrilla fighter, much less a Black Knight. It's a freaking miracle the school just up and let her back in!" She frowned, and continued to prod Kallen's head, lost in thought. Finally, she smiled to herself.

"Ah well, it's not exactly like we could just leave her out to die. After all, she's my adorable Kallen, no matter what she did as a side job."

"HEY! My head's not a damn Beanie Baby you can just poke all day! What am I? Jello? OW!! That really hurts! You're so mean Akako!" Akako shook herself out of her fantasy world, and realized that she had just attempted to insert a finger into her friend's eye. Kallen glared at her with tears in her eyes and pouted.

"You're horrible...what did I ever do to you?"

"Ah...sorry, I was a bit out of it there..." Akako laughed shakily. Suddenly, realization gripped her as she reviewed what had just happened.

'Wait a minute....WHO DO YOU THINK I WAS DOING THIS FOR?!? If you don't pay attention in class, you'll fail the test next week! I know you're smart and all, but that can only get you so far Kallen!" The class watched as Kallen and Akako performed their comedy act, laughing at the antics of the duo. Life was peaceful in Ashford Academy, and all was well.

_2,000 meters above Tokyo_

Aboard the floating fortress _Heracules_, Governor Nunnally Lamperouge was watching the garden from her wheelchair. She observed the flower, and the butterflies, marveling the beauty in it all. She heard the door open and turned the wheelchair to face a masked man in a cape and flamboyant clothes. The man kneeled before her respectfully and slowly put a hand above his heart, remaining silent the entire time.

"Suzaku, you don't have to wear that getup in front of me. No matter what you wear, I can tell who you are." She smiled gently at the man, and took his head in her hands, slowly raising him until she was looking at her own reflection in the oval crystal faceplate.

"You've always protected me, haven't you Suzaku? And now you bear an even greater responsibility as Zero." She took the man's hand, and held it to her cheek.

"Do you know? Even though I can see again, even though I can appreciate this wonderful world we live in, I feel as if I have seen so much I could only have noticed when I was blind. I could see the sorrow in the heart of the people, the confusion in the heart of my brother, and even the love in yours. And though my eyes are back, I can still see these things, yet other people can't. So I'm going to use this power to help the world, Suzaku. I'm going to look at what is in everyone's hearts, and I'm going to work hard to make the world happy." She smiled and closed her eyes, dreaming.

"I'm going to make a world where my brother would be happy to live in, where we could laugh together, and play together. I'm going to make this world, and then I'll give it to the people. I'll make a beautiful world full of joy!" She looked up into the cold, empty mask, tears streaming down her face.

"If I do all this, do you think my brother would be proud? Do you think he'll smile at me from heaven and tell me I'm a good girl?"

The masked figure stood silently, almost as if contemplating the question. Suddenly, he swiftly pulled Nunnally into an embrace. He gripped her tightly, and slowly let her go, backing away as he did so. But as the mask passed by her ear, it whispered, quietly, but surely,

"Yes, your Highness."


	2. Collar

Authors note: No, I didn't accidently upload the wrong story. Still Revolvo Preteritus. Bear with me and my silly quirks ^.^;

(I actually winced when I was writing this .)

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_Somewhere under the Pacific Ocean_

Noisy. It was too loud. Bubbles appeared as blurs before the man's eyes as he opened them slightly. He was able to register movement around him, but from what and what for, he didn't know. He was tired, and barely conscious. He wanted to go back to sleep.

"Unit 26039, Lt. Leveroch requests your presence in the Observatory. Medical Bay, begin revival sequence of Unit 26039's vitals and brain activity. Remove him from stasis." Gears grinded and metal bars were raised from around him.

_Where am I..._

A muffled gurgling noise, as the liquid enveloping his body began to drain into god-knows-what.

_What...happened..._

The chemicals slowly disappeared, and the man fell against the restraints holding him. With a sickening popping noise, needles removed themselves from his back and neck.

"Sedative application has been ceased. Opening primary hatch." A cold, heartless, yet slightly sweet voice. A loud hissing, a latch of some kind opened in front of him.

"Release the harness, prepare for application of the collar." The restraints let go of his arms and chest.

_I'm going to fall..._

The man twitched as he tried to protect himself from the fall. His arms wouldn't move. His legs refused to work. He closed his eyes and waited for the impact. He hit the floor. Hard. He felt two pairs of hands grab him from his pits and drag him. The hands threw him on a table and began to inspect his body.

"Inspection complete ma'am. Should we reinstall his collar?"

"Yes, we will begin the installation of his collar immediately. You." A new hand appeared above the man;s head, pointing at what he assumed was one of the men who dragged him, "Go retrieve the collar and bolts from sterilization. And you," The hand disappeared from his vision, "Restrain him."

"Ma'am?" The voice sounded confused. "He should still be under the effects of the sedatives for another thirty five minutes. Would the restraints really be necessary?"  
"Hmm? Sounds like you haven't been doing your homework, have you doctor?" The woman's voice was sickly sweet, and was dripping with poison. "I've read this man's record. While I may not know as much medical mumbo-jumbo as you, I do know that this man is anything but harmless, even with your fancy drugs in him." A click of a gun's safety. "Now, you will obey orders, and you will restrain him until he is safely under the influence of the collar." There was a pause.

"…Yes ma'am…" The creak of hinges, and the cold of metal against the man's flesh. Another harness was being applied, thicker than the one before.

"Restraints have been applied. He's ready for the procedure."

"Understood." A new voice, deeper than the others, calm and collected, male. "Ma'am, requesting permission to begin the installation of the collar to Unit 26039."

_26039…_

"Granted."

"Flip him." The hands grabbed him again. They picked him up and turned him so that he was facedown. There was a taste of metal in his mouth as his tongue scraped the table.

"Now, lock him down. I don't want him rolling around, even with the restraints." Four consecutive clicks. He couldn't move, not that he could before.

"Begin operation. Kinda feel sorry for the bastard. This thing hurts like hell." Someone was rubbing a cold liquid on his neck and upper back.

"Hell, if he survives this without any anesthetic, then kudos to you kid. Well, not really I guess, since you're totally out. Start the process. Slice him." The man caught the flash of a blade in the corner of his eyes. He felt them trace over his skin and cut into his muscle. A slight stinging on the back of his neck.

"Incision complete. Prepare to install nodes." A prickling sensation above the raw flesh, and one of the men took a deep breath. There was a sickening squelching noise, and a small pop, followed by surges of immense pain. An unbearable amount of pain flowed through the man's body and he felt his body seizing up, threatening to cause him to black out, but not quite letting him. He wanted to scream. He wanted to throw up. He wanted to just curl up and die. But he couldn't.

_Stop…it hurts…_

"Sir, we're detecting some unusual brain activity. I think he's awake, just…paralyzed or something." A concerned voice, sounded like a man was in his early twenties.

"Shit, the sedatives wore off already?"

"No sir, I think he just fought past them."

"Stupid idiot. You couldn't just let the meds take care of you, could ya? They were for your own good. Now we gotta pump you full of drugs. Someone hurry up and grab some sleeper. Give him a higher than average dose. 700cc, no more, no less."

"Sir, that much sleeper could threaten to stop his heart!"

"…We don't have much of a choice. He could die from shock at this rate. And I doubt Leveroch likes his toys in body bags."

"Now, now, doctor." The woman's voice again, even more cruel than before, "I don't think any sleeper would be required at all. This man can survive this amount of abuse at the very least, so giving him sedatives would simply be a waste. Now then, continue the procedure."

_What…?_

"But-"

"Continue the procedure, doctor."

Another deep breath, another squelch, another pop, and even more pain. His muscles tightened to the point they felt like ripping, and spots appeared before his eyes. Again, the breath, the squelch, the pop. He just wanted it to stop. He tried to thrash, to fight back at these men who were torturing him, to kill them and make them suffer, just as he had.

_I'll kill you…_

"Sir, he's beginning to regain control over his motor functions!"

"Damn it, hurry the hell up!"

"Done sir, all three nodes have been inserted systematically between his vertebrae. Beginning to program the control sequence to match his brainwaves."

There was a strange clicking noise in his head, but he ignored it. He continued to fight against his restraints, trying to set himself free.

"The nodes have been programmed, all we have to do is slap it on and the collar's good to go."

"Okay, hurry up and weld the nodes to his skin, then sew him shut. And see if you can do something about those cramps and that seizure he's having, we need to keep him ALIVE."

There was the sound of a welding torch being activated, then came the sizzling, and the smell of burning flesh and melted metal. Finally, through the dead nerves, he felt it. The pain came, white and flashing, greater than ever before.

"UUAAAuuugh…" the howl of pain finally broke through his muted lips. Then again, and again, and again. The man screamed in pain, and the yells echoed through the room. He smashed his head against the table, trying to end it.

_Just kill me…_

"Shit, somebody hold him, the harness doesn't keep the head from moving!"

"Damn, this guy's really strong!"

"Make sure you keep his mouth open or he'll bite off his tongue! We can't let him bleed to death either, people." Hands grabbed his head and forced it against the table. One hand forced its fingers into his mouth and tried to lock his jaws.

_Like hell…_

There was a satisfying crunch as the man chomped down on the fingers. The sound of bones breaking and the yells of the hand's owner were as sweet as music. He tasted the blood in his mouth. Another surge of pain caused him to spit out the blood as he tried to scream through the fluid. The room began to fade, and the rampant energy that coursed through his body seemed to dissipate as fast as it appeared. He smelled the fragrance of a bluebell.

_Ah…so I'm going to die…_

"Sir, his vitals are dropping rapidly!"

"Give him a full shot of adrenaline and 150cc of sleeper. Get the defibrillator ready. And will you hurry the hell up?"

"The welding is finished, and we're just about finished with the stitching."

"He's flat lining! Get that adrenaline over here or this man will die!"

_So…much noise…_

The man tried to look, but only managed to get his eyes halfway open. Everything was just a blur, and the noise became muffled again. It was almost as if he were back in the tank they took him out of.

_Dying…isn't so bad…is it…_


	3. Choice

"Wake up cutie. Somebody wants to meet you." This voice was familiar. Sickly sweet, yet cruel and cold. This was the voice that sentenced the man to pain.

"Come on, I know you're still alive. You can't fool me. After all, the doctors we have are the best." Alive? What did she mean? Of course he was alive.

_But…I…died…_

There was a soft sigh. "Hmm I suppose I'll have to use this. Although I was hoping I could play around a bit more." She fumbled around for something.

"Ah, here it is." There was a click, as if from a crusty button being pushed for the first time in years, followed by the tapping of fingers on a keyboard.

"Wake up, Unit 26039. And no, you don't have a choice." Another click. Suddenly, his eyes shot wide open.

"There we go. See? That wasn't so hard now, was it?" His eyes floated around the room, observing everything. A sofa, which he was seated on, a coffee table, a fish tank, and a television. Seemed like a lounge of some sort. Cabinets, a loaded bar, a huge window, and finally a woman. She was a beautiful girl, the sort guys drooled over and masturbated to. Long smooth legs hid underneath the green revealing dress, slim figure, a full, bouncy chest and rear. Her hair was silky brown and tied in a casual ponytail. Full, red lips, pink cheeks, and a radiant smile. But her eyes. They were a bright and sparkling blue, but under that, they seemed empty and dead.

"My, my, my. So curious after you're little nap. You sure don't act as if you've been out for two weeks. It isn't easy, y'know, getting yourself killed twice."

_Twice?_

"Mmm, seems like after we revived you the first time, you went off and got yourself killed again on the surgery table. Was quite amusing. Not many men can catch my interest like that."

She walked towards him. Her open toed stilettos had two inched heels, and they clicked as she strolled over, hips swaying and chest thrust out, with an air of confidence around her. But for some reason, despite all the temptations, only the eyes seemed important. He couldn't look away from them.

"Oh my, seems like you have better control than most people." She picked at her dress.

"Perhaps this wasn't _sensuous_ enough for you?" The eyes felt as if they were swallowing him whole. He tore his gaze away and focused at the window. There were fish swimming and coral on the floor outside.

_Where am I?_

"…ere…m…" He tried to voice his thoughts, trying to understand his situation.

"Ah? Trying to flatter me, are you? You player." She laughed casually. "But, I won't fall prey to that honey pot of yours just yet. You have to work for your meal." She brushed his face with her hand, her bracelet touching his cheek.

……

The man cleared his throat, and croakily managed to force out a hoarse "Where am I?" The woman let out another sigh.

"So rude. And after all the effort I went through to dress up for you. Well, if you must know, you are currently a couple hundred meters under the Pacific Ocean." She walked over to the bar, and pulled out a bottle and two glasses.

"Can I offer you anything? Scotch on the rocks, with a twist, for me. This baby's been sitting around for eighty years now, just begging for someone to drink it." She placed some ice into each cup, and poured three fingers of the liquor into each cup, and finally, dropped in a wedge of lemon. She took the glasses and walked back over, sliding a cup across the coffee table to him. She looked into the man's eyes, smiled, and raised her cup into a silent toast. He watched as she brought the glass to her lips, and appreciatively sipped the brew.

He studied her movements, and finally blurted out, "Who are you?"

She looked at him, and simply smiled, before replying, "I think a better question would be, who are you?"

An expression of shock must have passed over his face, because almost immediately, the woman burst out laughing. She clutched her sides with one hand, and wiped her eyes with a finger on the other hand. Stunned by her actions, the man froze up. But he quickly regained his calm.

"My name is Christopher McManus. I'm an Irish American born from Anthony McManus and Aileen McManus in Florida on October 17th. I worked as a mechanical engineer at the local mechanic after graduating from the city college. I-" The woman snorted and took another swig from her drink. She set down her glass and glared at him.

"Uh huh, sure Mr. Christopher McManus. Hi, my name is Mickey Mouse, I've worked under the wonderful Walt Disney since 1928 and currently have multiple cartoons based on me." She laughed.

"Come on now, Mr. Maximillion, did you honestly think we knew nothing about you? We have an entire file cabinet full of your information and, shall we call them, achievements" She clapped her hands over her mouth, as if she had just let out a huge secret.

"Oops, I just took out half the fun." She laughed again.

_This bitch is insane…_

The man started to stand up, but suddenly, found that he couldn't move.

"Ah, ah, ah! Now that's no good. It wouldn't be fair! Since you've told me all about yourself, it's only right that I return the favor, even if the information you gave me was fake." The woman tapped her arm console, which he had mistaken for a bracelet earlier, and a holographic display appeared. She studied it a bit, and tapped the console a couple times before exclaiming with a soft, "Ah!" She tapped something on the display, and suddenly, the man was slammed back into the sofa as if he had been hit by the damn thing.

_Huh?_

"Oh right, I forgot to tell you." The woman looked up and grinned evilly, "You are now officially under the influence of our 'collar'. It's pretty fun to play with."

"Collar?" The man remembered the blades, the yelling, and the pain.

"Mmhmm. Currently, on your spine, we have surgically inserted three nodes that read your emotional high from the signals sent down your spinal cord via nerves. Not only does it read your signals, it can even insert its own, giving us a crude control over your body. Not precise enough to make you dance or anything, but if we wanted you to, oh, let's say, pull a trigger your finger's already on, it would be pretty simple. So something like "Sit" is complete cake to this baby." She continued to fiddle with the display.

"Almost everyone in the upper caste here has one of these. Comes with a directory of 'Collared' and everything. Really handy." She pressed another button, and the man launched himself off the couch and into the wall. Another button, and he was lying on his back on the floor.

"Now then, where was I?" the woman got down and crawled towards him, almost like a cat preparing to pounce on a mouse.

"Oh yes, I was just about to introduce myself." She climbed up his body and sat right below his stomach.

"Hmm, where to start." She laid her head on his chest, and breathed deeply.

"I believe I'm called Melissa, Melissa Johnson. I was born in the sewers of New York, god knows when, by my ragtag mother, whose name I never gave enough of a damn about to remember. I begged for food, and eventually, began stealing. I became a prostitute when I was in my early teens, and whored myself out to fat, ugly snobs with loads of cash, and after they finished their business, I killed them, and drained them dry. And finally, around my late teens or early twenties…I died."

_What?_

Melissa looked up at the man's bewildered face, and let out a chuckle.

"You…died?"

"Yep, I was killed. I remember it pretty clearly. I was making a pretty decent living doing what I do, and since it wasn't all that uncommon, I was never caught. But one day I got caught off guard. The usual idiots that requested my _services_ tended to be out of shape and have low stamina. They tend to pass out afterwards, which makes things just that much easier for me. But this one was different. He was fit, and pretty good looking. He probably could have gotten a girlfriend if he wanted to. Afterwards, I expected things to go the same. I crept up the guy, and forced a pillow on his head. I pulled out my knife and stabbed into the pillow, thinking that things were exactly the same. But I was wrong." She slipped off the straps on her dress, and slowly pulled it down, talking the entire time.

"This man was different. He couldn't die. He had twisted his head when I stabbed, and it caught him in the eye. He immediately threw me off, and, pulling the knife out of his eye, he killed me." The dress came off, and the first thing the man saw was a very visible scar.

"He gutted me, y'know? From here" she pointed under her left rib, "to here." And traced her finger across her naked belly to right above the right side of her pelvis.

"For a moment, I felt ecstasy. From what, I don't know." She held the man's face, and pulled it into her chest, smothering him.

"And as I lay there, a voice whispered to me 'Dying isn't so bad'. I almost laughed. And then, I died. Simple as that." She put the man's head back down, and gently bit his earlobe.

_Dying…isn't…so bad…_

"Now then, I know you, and you know me, let's say we do some master/servant _bonding_." Suddenly, the door opened, and a figure stood in the doorway.

"The service ends here, Melissa. I finally get a new man, a damn good one at that, and the first thing you try to do is rape him." Melissa smiled sheepishly and slid off of the man, blowing him a kiss as she gathered her clothes and skipped out of the room. The figure came closer, and the face came into the light.

"My name is Lt. Ryan Leveroch, and as of now, you work for me. You will do what I say, when I say it, and that collar there will make sure of that." Lt. Leveroch, tall, muscular, and handsome, with a metal eye patch drilled into his skull to cover his right eye. He pulled the man to his feet. He smirked.

"Welcome to the Black Knights. And no, you don't have a choice."

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Authors note: Dun Dun Dun...Okay, I'm planning on switching again, back to the Kallen we know and love. I'll get em up as soon as I convince my friend to proofread/review them, since my MS word got deleted T.T


	4. Rivalz

Kallen walked down the street, ruffling her hair. She was pretty annoyed at Akako. She'd slept pretty badly the night before, and being sleep deprived didn't sit well with her. Made her cranky. She rubbed the spot Akako had whacked during their stupid argument. There was a small bump, and touching it made it sting like hell. For a girl, Akako could sure pack a punch. Kallen winced in pain as she felt her new wound.

"Tch, Akako's such a sadist. Does she get enjoyment out of hurting me or something?" Hopefully the bump would go away in a few days, but Kallen still resolved to disinfect it when she got home as a precaution.

"Well, I suppose she's just being motherly. Maybe I woke up the maternal instincts in that monster?" She continued muttering to herself as she walked through the city. This route took longer to get home, but on the up side, it allowed her to browse through all the shops and do some window shopping. Figured that she missed out enough on a normal life. As she walked by a small knick knack shop, something caught her eye. It was a model of a 5th generation Gloucester Knightmare. Upon closer inspection, it was shown triumphing over a Japanese Burai Knightmare, thrusting its lance into the fallen foe. She snorted. Her Guren MK-II could trample over the Gloucester without so much breaking a sweat. Losing interest, she turned away from the window, leaving the now disappointed shop keeper (who had been watching her with a hopeful sparkle in his eyes) to continue moping around his store.

"Kallen?" The slightly annoying, yet cheerful voice snapped Kallen to attention, and she slowly turned around to face the owner.

"Kallen, what're ya doing around here?" Rivalz Cardemonde, Kallen vaguely recalled, was one of the student council and had quite the crush on the graduated Milly Ashford. Best course of action... act natural.

"Oh, hey Rivalz! I go through here on my way home, and something in the store caught my eye so I stopped to take a peek." Kallen put on her best "natural" face possible, which consisted of an awkwardly forced smile and trying to stare right at Rivalz without blinking too much. This simply made her even more conscious of her awkward position, and trying not to blink only made her eyes burn. Rivalz had previously caught her in a bad position; one that involved her pointing a gun at him. She was hoping the model in the window display wouldn't cause him to remember anything unneccesary.

"Well, I was just about to go, just thought that...thing...in the window was kinda cute."

_Thing? What thing? The thing that involved a robot stabbing another robot? Yeah, real cute. Absolutely adorable. _

"Really? What were you looking at? Come on, share the love." Rivalz walked over to the window and crouched down, studying the window display thouroughly and furrowing his brows in confusion.

_....Crap...._

"Uhh, y'know, umm..." Kallen frantically looked through the display and caught sight of something pink.

_Pink is something a normal girl would think is cute right? Right?_

"That thing, over there! The pink thing. I thought it was really cool, so I was looking at it."

_Whew...safe..._

".....Umm....Kallen?" Rivalz's voice sounded confused and slightly repulsed.

"That pink thing....would be an ero model..."

_Eh?_

Kallen's voice shook as she spoke. "E-e-ero model? What are you talking about Rivalz, don't be silly. It's just a model of-" She looked closer. "-a guy's ***** ...."

_.....I didn't need to see that yet..._

"Kallen?" His voice was gentle now, hesitant, the way one would talk to a child, or a mental patient.

"...Yeah Rivalz?"

"Are you a pervert?" This one question sent Kallen's mind spinning. No, she was not a pervert. No she was not crazy. And she most certainly wasn't a gunslinging nutjob. But this misunderstanding needed to end.

"No Rivalz, I'm not a pervert. I'll be honest, I was walking by and the Knightmare model caught my attention. I was not staring at Man's hidden anatomy. So please, would you leave me alone?"

_Great...Nice impression...way to go Kallen, talk of the school tommorow..._

A burst of laughter shocked her out of her chastising, and she stared at Rivalz as he literally bent over laughing.  
"Oh man, I haven't laughed like that in ages! Whew, wow that was...something!" Rivalz was laughing so hard that he was doubled over with tears flowing from his eyes.

"But a Knightmare huh? Why didn't you just tell me that to start with?"

Kallen looked away. "Well..." Suddenly, Rivalz put his arm around her shoulder.

"Well, whatever, not like it matters. Anyways, my friend owns this store, so I swing by around here from time to time. He's got some pretty cool stuff in here, even if some of it is inappropriate." Rivalz looked down and smiled his goofy smile at her.

"Wanna come in and browse around? Maybe we can find something that suits your taste!" And that little comment earned him a punch to the kidneys, leaving him bent over for another reason.

"I tell you to leave me alone, and you invite me inside? Maybe we should get your ears checked!" Kallen turned around and returned his smile. "But hey, it couldn't hurt, could it?"

The inside of the shop was dank, and a little musky, but Rivalz was right. It was a very interesting shop. And better yet, it seemed as if she was becoming accustomed to a normal life.


	5. Grim

For the past few weeks, Kallen had been visiting the little model shop regularly with Rivalz. The two had never really talked before, due to Kallen's lack of interest in both school and relationships, while Rivalz's personality made him easily likeable, but just as easily irritating. But thanks to the little model shop, the two had come close enough to even be considered "friends".

"Hey, Kallen? Can I ask you something?" Rivalz said this hesitantly, as if though afraid he would step on a land mine.

"Huh? Yeah go ahead, what's up?" Kallen asked, looking at Rivalz from the corner of her eyes as she stared at a poster with some actor's face plastered all over it.

"Kallen, why did you join the Black Knights back then?"

Kallen's blood froze. The taboo subject finally appeared.

"I joined because I wanted to. I felt that what they fought for was right, that what I believed was right. That's it."

_I won't let out Mom's secret…_

"Well, was it really worth it?" Rivalz's tone was cold, bitter. "Was it really worth throwing everything away? I mean, look at you. It's been a year since then, and you still react to small noises. You act like everyone's an enemy. I just want to know, why would you do something as stupid as become a terrorist for something you believe in? Why not just, I dunno, protest or something?"

_Stupid?_

Kallen felt her temper rising, and didn't care to stop it. She had secrets she had to keep, and she was damn sure he did too.

_I don't need to take this shit…_

"It's none of your damn business." She hissed, "I have my beliefs, you have yours. I wanted to fight, so I fought. You decided to hide like a pussy, so you did. And everything turned out fine and dandy, didn't it?" She spun on her heel and stormed out of the store. She could hear Rivalz chasing her.

"Kallen, wait!"

_Like hell…_

She was about to turn around and tell Rivalz to screw off when she saw it. In the alley, three Japanese were ganging up on a Britannian in an apron. The apron had the logo of the model store on it. Earlier the shopkeeper had said that he was "Going out for a smoke." He hadn't returned when Kallen left.

"Not so cocky now, are you, you damn Brit." The Japanese seemed aggravated, or drunk. Probably both.

"I'll teach you to blow smoke into my face! Get his arms!" One of the men grabbed the shopkeeper from behind, and the speaker was sinking his fists into the defenseless man's stomach. The thuds of the blows could be heard from the other side of the street. The shopkeeper looked up at his assailant and murmured something incoherent.

"Huh?" The Japanese grabbed the man's face, "Say it clearly fucker. Or we can't understand what you say."

The shopkeeper spit to the side and glared at him.

"Fucking Eleven pigs."

At the mention of this term, all three of the Japanese turned red.

_Definitely not good._

Kallen dropped her bag and sprinted across the street, dodging a car as she did so. She ignored the criticisms of the infuriated driver, focusing only on the shopkeeper. One of the men drew back a fist, and hooked the Britannian. The man's face flew to the side, and there was a dull, but obvious cracking noise.

_That would be his jaw…_

"Here," one of the Japanese men said, handing a pipe to the other, "This'll leave a dent in his skull."

_These guys are going to kill him…_

"Hoo, nice." The man grinned at the shopkeeper maliciously. "Let's help this fellow start his life anew. It'll be just like raising an infant." He placed the pipe against the shopkeeper's cheek. "Well now, what's the first thing a baby learns to do?" The men laughed.

"Oh! Oh! Teacher! I know the answer!" One of the men hopped up and down with his hand in the air with mock excitement.

"Very well!" the man pointed at his friend with the pipe, as a teacher would point with a ruler. "Go right on ahead!"

"The first thing a baby learns," the man said while jogging in place, "is how to walk!"

_Crack!_

The shopkeeper's shin shattered as the pipe hit it at full force. He howled in pain and clutched his broken limb. The three Japanese roared with laughter, enjoying every minute of their violence induced high.

"Well, come on then! Walk!" the men grabbed the shopkeeper and picked him up. "Go on! Come to Daddy!" Two of the men pushed the shopkeeper onto his injured leg. The man took one step and fell forward, right into a kick from the third Japanese. The three laughed again.

"Okay then. Lesson tw-" What lesson two was, the other two men never found out, as Kallen's foot smashed into the first man's face, causing him to drop faster than a sack of bricks. The man's companions finally realized the situation, and descended on Kallen.

"You Brit bitch! Come to save your little scumbag friend eh?" One of the men attempted to grab her arm.

_You're slow…_

She sidestepped, and thrust upward with her palm, connecting with the man's chin, and throwing him backwards. But that didn't faze him for long. He was back on his feet in seconds.

_Slow…but resilient…_

She reached behind her, searching for her disguised knife-

_Shit…_

The knife was still in the bag. Kallen frantically searched her surroundings for a weapon. Suddenly, a huge arm wrapped itself around her neck, forcing her into a chokehold.

"Hey now, girlie. That's not very nice." The first man was back up. And he wasn't happy. "How about we pay back the favor for breaking my nose?" He squeezed his arms tighter.

_Air…_

"Hah! Look at her, seems like she's about to pass out already."

She was seeing spots. She clawed at the arm around her neck, trying to break free of the hold.

"Hey, here's a plan." One of the men crouched in front of her and raised her chin. "We're going to rape you, girlie, gonna give you the time of your life. And then we're going to hang you up by your leg from that street lamp over there so that everyone can enjoy the view." The men laughed.

_No…_

"Alright, someone get her clothes off."

"I'll do it. I've always wanted to do something like this to a girl in her uniform." The man crouched in front of her stood up, and grabbed her vest.

"Ooh, Ashford Academy! Very nice. You're a rich little girl then, eh? Guess this means you've never done this before, huh. Overprotective parents and all that shit the rich Brits get while we rot in the streets?" He leaned in and whispered, "Guess I get to make you grow up."

She glared at him, and kneed him in the groin. The man fell to the floor, and his friends howled with laughter.

"Whoa now, down girl. Looks like we bagged a tiger instead of a cat!" The arm around her neck squeezed even tighter. She choked and thrashed, but the grip only got tighter and tighter.

…_can't…breathe…_

Her arms fell limply to her sides. Her legs lost their energy and turned to lead.

"Hey now, easy on the hold."

"Wha-?"

"We want her awake for this. It'll be more interesting."

The grip loosened, and Kallen gasped as she appreciatively gulped down precious air.

"Well then, let the fun begin. As soon as I figure out how to get these freaking clothes off." Suddenly, the man in the back staggered a step forward, before falling on his face.

"The hell?"

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF HER!" Rivalz stood there, panting, and clutching the bloody pipe so hard, his knuckles turned white.

"Kallen! My God, I've been looking all ov-" Rivalz flew through the air as the man holding Kallen let her go, took two steps, and slugged him.

"Save your chit chat for later kid. Go home so we can play with your girlfriend here." He turned around. "Now, where were we?"

"You dogs have sunk really low…" A voice came from nowhere, deep and low. "So this is what Japan fought for…" Kallen tried to focus her eyes, tried to identify the voice. A dark figure in a hooded cloak swooped through her line of vision, and as she tried to raise her head to look, Rivalz's face appeared. He appeared to be yelling something, and had a panicked look. But she couldn't hear him. She tried to look around him, to get a glimpse at the shadow, but the last of her energy left her, and she welcomed the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

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Author's note: Okay, since my proofreader is lazy, I'll only be able to upload like 1 chapter a day. On the bright side, there will be a something new every day, instead of all at once. I have, however, begun to work on a "Full Metal Panic!" fanfic called "Full Rose Panic!" I proofread it to the best of my abilities and posted a couple chapters right away, but that's not saying much .


	6. Love

"_Kallen…"_

_A voice…whose voice…_

"Kallen!" Kallen opened her eyes to an incredibly worried Rivalz. She was in the student council room. There were papers all over the place, and the little desk Lelouch used to sit at with his laptop was dusty.

"What…happened?" She looked up at Rivalz questioningly.

"Well, you passed out. I had to drag you here, since the school was closer than my house." Rivalz let out a deep sigh, and flopped into the chair closest to him.

"You had me really worried y'know?" He placed a hand over his eyes and sighed again.

"I wasn't too sure what I would do if I lost you." He peeked at her through his fingers and smiled.

"What happened to your friend? That shopkeeper guy?" Kallen tried to stand, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed back into her chair.

"Jeez, how about you worry about yourself first? Do you even understand the situation you were in?" Rivalz kicked up his feet, and started rocking himself on the two hind legs of the chair.

"If I hadn't saved your heinie, you'd probably be naked in a ditch somewhere."

_Wait…_

"What about that other guy?" Rivalz looked at her, confused.

"What other guy? You mean the shopkeeper?"

…_Was it just my imagination?_

"Uh, yeah, your friend. Is he okay?" Kallen asked, genuinely concerned.

"Well, his jaws shattered, and he's got a broken leg. So I don't really think he's anywhere near okay. Not to mention, he's got like two broken ribs. It was pretty serious. But he's not going to die, so that's good." Rivalz looked at the ceiling. "I was honestly more worried about you."

"Eh? Now wait, I know I was a bit reckless for charging in like that, but don't you think I could've handled myself better than your friend?" Kallen crossed her arms and pouted. Rivalz stopped rocking, and stared at her. He sighed a third time.

"Look, I know what you can do. I was there, remember?" He smiled his goofy smile at her, but it disappeared almost instantly. Now he was dead serious. "But no matter what, you're a girl. I'm not saying you're less capable, I'm saying that people won't just beat the living hell out of you..." He got off the chair and walked toward her.

"I thought that after that experience, you would learn that already." He raised his arms in exasperation. "But maybe I was wrong."

Kallen watched cautiously as Rivalz advanced toward her, scooting her chair back a bit in surprise. Rivalz looked her in the eye, and leaned in, resting his head on her shoulder.

"I was really worried about you…"

_Wh-wha-what?!?!_

Rivalz pulled his head back, and looked into Kallen's eyes again. There was a sparkle behind his eyes. He drew closer and closer to her, and soon she could feel his hot breath on her lips. Her eyes were wide with shock, as their lips touched with a tender caution, and a surge of warmth rushed through her body. He leaned in, forcing his lips onto her's, and she could feel the ever increasing passion flow into her, leaving a tingling feeling in her stomach. Her heart was pounding in her throat, and Kallen felt as if though her soul was standing at Heaven's Gates. Her cheeks blushed bright crimson, and the heat that seemed to emit from the two of them made her dizzy. His hand brushed her hair, pulling her deeper and deeper into the sinful act of romance.

"S-Stop it, Rivalz! I got it, okay? I won't be reckless anymore, so cut it out!" Kallen stuttered as she protested to Rivalz's advance. He said nothing and simply kissed her again. All resistance left her, and she returned the act, hands gripping the seat so hard, she thought it would break. Rivalz broke off again, and left Kallen panting, watching her anxious face with a soft expression.

"Stop…it feels like I'm cheating on Milly…" Kallen choked.

"Forget her. She never noticed me, I would move on sooner or later." Rivalz held Kallen's face. "And you helped me." He kissed her again, speaking in between the gasps.

"The only thing I can see is you, and today, I thought I lost you forever…"

Kallen's mind was blank. She was being overwhelmed. This was Rivalz. Rivalz the idiot. Rivalz the goofball. Rivalz the moron who accompanied Lelouch on his little school adventures.

"Riva-" She was interrupted by another kiss, and she felt his tongue break through and massage hers. It was too much to handle.

"I love you Kallen. What else do you need to know?" Rivalz brushed her hair back, and held her cheek in his hand. "You're beautiful Kallen. I love you." It was as if all her worries had flown out the window. Three simple words, and she was begging for more.

_Is this love?_

His hand slid down her back, onto her thigh. Kallen felt her heart in her throat, as Rivalz cradled and caressed her body.

_Love…_

"Rivalz…I-" suddenly, the movements stopped. Rivalz staggered backwards, staring at the floor in horror. Kallen, stunned and a little put off, followed his gaze.

_What the hell?_

He wasn't staring at the floor. He was staring at his _chest_. Protruding from Rivalz's chest was the tip of a spear, thrust through from behind. And at the other end of the spear, was a dark figure in a hooded cloak.

.

.

Author's note: Sorry for slow upload. Internet sucks. I forced my bf to kiss me like a thousand times so I could get the first kiss even semi right. I'll be getting more up soon if my proofreader gets his lazy bum in action.


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